Mirik College, named after Basanti Devi, was the first Government sponsored college for women in Darjeeling to be founded by the Government of West Bengal in 1959. An eminent freedom fighter, Basanti Devi, wife of Sri Chittaranjan Das, was the first Indian lady to be imprisoned under British Rule for her involvement in the Indian freedom struggle. The college began as a vision of the Mirik Citizen’s Committee around the year 1972, to have a community college. Due to the untiring efforts of visionaries like (late) B.B. Lama, Philanthopist (late) T.S. Moktan, planter emeritus, Sri L.B. Dewan, academician Sri B.B. Thapa the vision was ultimately actualized in the year 2000. Their saga continues, Sri Dewan who created the logo and motto of the college served as the Secretary of the college Managing Committee, Celebrating its foundation day on 5th September 2000 the college started classes with forty-five (45) students and a corpus of volunteer lecturers like Sri N.C. Khaling, Sri P.B. Syangden and Fr. Martin. Sdb, Among many others, teaching the B.A. General course affiliated to the University of North Bengal, at the Marketing Co-operative Building, Thana Line. There was a change of guard in 2002 with the arrival of the first batch of regular lecturers from the West Bengal college Service Commission, Kolkata.

The college shifted to its won campus at the ‘Old Dakbanglow’ in the year 2004 where in the new building came up with funds from the Tea Board, SCA and BADP Funds. The library and office infrastructure camp with the help of BAUP and MPLAD funds. Volunteer donors like Mr. T.B. Niraula of Seyoke, T. E. Always made generous contributions to the college kitty. In the year 2006 the college started Honours courses in English, Nepali and Political Science and the first Honours students graduated in 2009. In 2007 Honours courses in Geography was introduced and from the session 2010 Honours in History has been introduced. Due to the efforts of well-wishers like Col (Retd) Gurung the NCC Boys and Girls wing was started in the year 2009.